Bücher veröffentlicht von Stark House Press

NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH When Riley gets word that Miss Blandish is going out on the town with her new pearl necklace, he decides to stage a jewelry snatch. Things get a little out of hand, and the gang ends up snatching Miss Blandish, too. Now they've got a kidnapping on their hands. But that's when the Grisson Gang steps in and takes over. Ma Grisson wants the pearls, but her sadistic son Slim wants Miss Blandish. And whatever Slim wants, Slim gets-one way or the other. So the ransom is paid, but Mr. Blandish doesn't get his daughter back. That's when Fenner is hired, a detective as ruthless as the gang he's after. They've broken Miss Blandish, but will Fenner be able to break them? TWELVE CHINAMEN AND A WOMAN Hot off the Blandish case, Dave Fenner is contacted by a frightened young lady who is looking for her sister. Laying down six grand as a retainer, she tells him that all she knows is that her sister is mixed up with twelve Chinamen. Intrigued, Fenner agrees to take the case, only to find that someone has planted a dead Chinaman in his office. No sooner has he removed that problem, Fenner is than visited by two Cubans who search his office, pistol whip him-and lead him to an apartment where he finds his murdered client. Now it's personal and Fenner will stop at nothing to find the gang behind this strange operation. Which leads him to Pio Carlos, trafficker in human cargo…and Glorie Leadler, a beauty who is not at all who she seems.

The Name of the Game is Death He calls himself Earl Drake. That's not his real name, but it'll do. Hell, he's changed his identity so many times, it hardly matters anymore. Right now he's calling himself Chet Arnold. After the last bank robbery, after they made their escape and Bunny ended up taking most of the money with him to Florida, he figured it was time to collect. But something's happened to Bunny. So here he is in Hudson, Florida, trying to find Bunny and the money. First he finds Hazel, six feet tall, red hair, all woman. Then he meets Lucille, the local man-hungry postmaster. Finally he meets Blaze Franklin, a cop who's just about ready to kill somebody. It's one helluva situation. And that's the kind that Drake likes best. One Endless Hour Sheriff Blaze's double cross is a good one. But Drake finds Bunny and he finds the loot. Trouble is, it all blows up in his face this time. Literally. And now they've got him behind bars and covered in bandages--and under the thumb of a particular sadist named Spider Kern. The authorities think they've got a monosyllabic basket case named Chet Arnold locked up for the criminally insane. But thanks to the experimental plastic surgery treatment of Dr. Afzul, they soon have an Earl Drake who is not only armed with a new face, but a plan as well. All he needs is a gun, and it's payback time. Sweet payback time.

HIGH SIERRABig Mac buys Roy Earle's pardon because he needs a gunman on a heist job in California. There are three of them in on it besides Roy: Red, Babe and Louis, the inside man. But Roy didn't figure on Marie, Babe's girl. At first Roy wants Marie out of there, but he soon realizes that she's got more brains than the other three put together. Besides, she makes good company. But Roy's heart already belongs to Velma, a club-footed girl he meets on the road. She reminds him of his youth, and better days... before life hardened his heart. But Velma's heart belongs to another. And Roy's got a job to do. And now Babe's out of the picture, and it's just Roy and Marie...THE ASPHALT JUNGLEWhen Riemenschneider is released from prison, he heads right to Cobby the bookie. Riemenschneider has the plans for the perfect jewel heist, a place ripe for the picking. Cobby has got the connections. But first of all, they need cash. And that's where Emmerich comes in. Emmerich, a smooth criminal lawyer, has always got plenty, plus connections of his own. So they pull in Gus as the driver, Bellini as the safe man, and Dix as strongarm. This could be the perfect crime. Except that Emmerich is broke and desperate-and that's where everything starts to go wrong.When Riemenschneider is released from prison, he heads right to Cobby the bookie. Riemenschneider has the plans for the perfect jewel heist, a place ripe for the picking. Cobby has got the connections. But first of all, they need cash. And that's where Emmerich comes in. Emmerich, a smooth criminal lawyer, has always got plenty of both. So they pull in Gus as the driver, Bellini as the safe man, and Dix as strongarm. This could be the perfect crime. Except that Emmerich is broke and desperate-and that's where everything starts to go wrong.

LADY-HERE'S YOUR WREATH As Vessi is heading toward the gas chamber, a mysterious phone voice offers newspaperman Nick Mason $10,000 to find the real killer. Vessi's dying words are "Lu Spencer pulled it," but Spencer's organization is not a group you want to tangle with-shareholders include most of the men who run the city. When Mason decides to check it out anyway, he meets Mardi, Spencer's secretary, a sweet dish with the largest brown eyes. But Mason's also got a gunman on his tail. And the cold-hearted Blondie, who has a knack for turning up when she's least expected. Not to mention the mysterious person who keeps insisting he investigate Spencer. One of them is bound to be wearing a wreath before this game is over… MISS CALLAGHAN COMES TO GRIEF St. Louis is ripe for a change. Gang boss Mendetta is getting old and careless, so it's a cinch for Raven to step in and take over. The first thing he changes is the prostitution racket. Raven feels that too much of the profit is going to the girls. So he rounds them up, takes them off the street, puts them in new houses and rakes off all the profit for himself. And when fresh girls are needed, he simply has them kidnapped. Newspaperman Jay Ellinger senses something is amiss when he hears about a husband whose wife has gone missing. But Sadie is missing for a different reason-she saw Raven leave Mendetta's apartment, and can put the finger on him. Sadie is now a valuable pawn, able to bring the whole racket down. If only Jay can find her…

KILLERHoward Gorman has to have Marie all to himself. She's everything he wants in a woman, and more. But in order to have Marie, he must first get rid of his wife, Ethyl. So Howard hires a hit man, Lee Floyd, a polished professional, to do the job-and remove Ethyl. But Marie has plans of her own, and they don't involve Howard. He's too fat and old for her. Marie is only in it for the money. So when she finds out about the hit man, she decides to get in touch with Lee herself. After all, if he's been paid to shoot Howard's wife, perhaps he can be persuaded to get rid of Howard as well...

THE LOST VALLEY Algernon Blackwood spent the first half of 1909 traveling around Switzerland. When he returned to England, he produced around twenty stories, most of which formed the basis for his next collection, The Lost Valley, published by Eveleigh Nash in June, 1910. Here are supernatural nature mysteries, ghost stories and visions galore-tales of loss and redemption, and the horror of the unknown-taking the reader from the stark terror of "The Wendigo" and "Old Clothes" to the light of hope in "Carlton's Drive" and the spiritual finale, "The Eccentricity of Simon Parnacute." THE WOLVES OF GOD By 1920, Blackwood had recovered from the depression of the First World War, and began writing again with a renewed zest, inspired to some degree by his explorer friend, Wilfrid Wilson, to whom he gave co-credit for the 1921 collection, The Wolves of God, though all the stories were by Blackwood. Many of these tales are wilderness stories, like the title story, "Running Wolf," "First Hate" and "The Valley of the Beasts." But The Wolves of God also features some fine supernatural romances like "The Call" and "The Lane That Ran East and West;" ghostly retribution in "The Decoy;" mystery and murder in "Confession;" and the strange call of the past in "The Tarn of Sacrifice." These are strange stories of retribution and mystical intervention, of horror and hope-of the magic and mystery of life. In all, twenty-four stories by the master supernatural writer of the 20th century-Algernon Blackwood!

PAN'S GARDEN Pan's Garden is a thematic collection of stories which, in the words of the author, "illustrates that characteristic belief, present in all my work, that there exists a definite relationship between Human Beings and Nature." From the opening novella, "The Man Whom the Trees Loved"-in which Nature welcomes and absorbs the soul of a man-to the concluding "The Temptations of the Clay"-in which Nature rejects the spirit of the man who tries to profit from it-we are transported into a natural world where the elements hold sway. Mike Ashley, in his introduction, calls Pan's Garden "the definitive volume of Blackwood's short stories. . . because it defines the true nature of Blackwood's writing." INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES Incredible Adventures represents what biographer Mike Ashley calls "the last outburst of his golden period" and is comprised of three novellas and two short stories. Here, nature is a living force, truth is the only religion and the past holds sway over the present. At times almost surreal in their intensity, these tales exert a strange power over the reader, opening our eyes to a larger world around us. From the rugged mountains of Eastern Europe in "The Regeneration of Lord Ernie" to the vast deserts of Egypt in "A Descent Into Egypt," Blackwood takes us to other places--and other worlds.

Everybody's out to get Johnny Porno! It's the New York City in the 1970's and John Albano is trying to get by. But they've taken his union card and work is hard to come by. He's hired to pick up the cash at showings of the recently banned Deep Throat, which is how he meets Eddie Vento, the local mobster in charge of distribution, who wants him to go to work for him. And Nick Santorra, Vento's loud-mouthed driver, who just loves to ride Albano every chance he gets, and knows how to hold a grudge. And then there's his ex-wife Nancy, now re-married for the third time, still demanding her child support. Nancy is also still seeing her first husband, Louis, a hustler who looks a lot like Duane Allman. But Louis has got a new girlfriend, Holly, and this drives Nancy crazy, which she naturally takes out on Albano. Albano even has a problem he doesn't know about, a drugged out ex-cop named Billy Hastings. Convinced that John is trying to put the make on his wife at a bar one evening, Hastings takes a swing at Albano but John drops him. Hastings is caught on tape starting the fight and he's forced into retirement, but he knows who's to blame for everything-and Albano is going to pay. At the same time, they're all being watched by detectives Neil Levin and Steven Brice from Internal Affairs, who may or may not be on the same side. And Special Agent Darrel Stebenow, who is watching out for Brigit Malone, Vento's undercover girlfriend. And Lt. Det. Sean Kelly, who is watching out for himself. At the center of it all is Johnny Porno-god, how he hates that name!-a guy who's just trying to stay ahead of the hustle and make a living. Just trying to stay alive.

THE FLAMING JEWEL Deep in the woods of upstate New York lives the disreputable Mike Clinch and his stepdaughter Eve. Clinch possesses a case full of jewels which he acquired, not entirely honestly, from the thief, Quintana. Quintana wants them back. To that end, he has assembled a gang to reacquire the jewels. But the jewels really don''t belong to Quintana either. He stole them from Theodorica, Grand Duchess of Estonia. And hot on Quintana''s heel is James Darragh, posing as a thief as well, who has pledged to return them to her. Meanwhile, state trooper Stormand, having fallen for Eve, also becomes involved. Together this motley group will play out a deadly game in search of the purloined treasure, and most especially, the Flaming Jewel! THE TALKERS From the moment when Sadoul first meets Gilda Greenway, he becomes mad about her. Unfortunately, she does not share the feeling. Then comes the masked ball, when Gilda meets Stuart Sutton. The spark between them is instant. Everything changes for her. Then, too, that is the night that Gilda dies. Or does she? Sutton certainly thinks she is dead. But then Pockman performs an operation on her, and the girl opens her eyes. Now Gilda seems in thrall to Sadoul. She becomes the new after hours belle of the ball. But she confesses to Sutton that another soul entered her body when she died, and now wants control of her-Sadoul exerts a hypnotic control over her and her Other. It is up to Sutton to figure out how to save Gilda. For not only is her life in danger, but quite possibly her very soul.

CRIME COPDetective Jeff Flavin gets assigned to head the Burglary detail when a rich guy named Sturgis is beaten and his beautiful wife murdered during a robbery of their safe. He and his partner, George Gilman, interview the murder victim''s best friend. They suspect the friend knows a lot more than she''s telling about what went on at the Sturgis''s. But overall there are very few clues-no fingerprints, only a light shoe print. This is the fourth robbery involving safe cracking and husband beating-all but the most recent involving the same kind of safe-so they start looking at disgruntled workers at the safe company. That''s when they discover Leonard Ferenc, who fits the bill perfectly. But finding Ferenc is another matter altogether. BODY OF THE CRIMELt. Ben Tutchek has been promoted to Commander of the Homicide Division. Delegating responsibility isn''t coming easy to him. But today, the day after the Fourth of July, it''s all hitting the fan at once-there''s a rape killing in South Branch Park, a drowned woman found floating in the river against the East Coast Fisheries dock, cop-fighters down at The Point, and the holdup of a Park Liquor Shop in which the owner is almost killed. As it that weren''t enough, the president of a large Manhattan company has fallen down dead in his office from a mysterious head wound. The Commissioner wants answers. And as the paperwork mounts on his desk, Tutchek is caught right in the middle, trying to solve it all himself.

The complete issue-to-issue guide to Manhunt Magazine-January 1953 to April/May 1967-with story and author indexes, plus an introductory "History of Manhunt."Following the success of the first two Stark House collections, Best of Manhunt and Best of Manhunt 2, this thorough guide provides the collector with everything they need to know about this classic crime fiction magazine.

PREY BY NIGHT Bill Williams works for the Marquesa running contraband from Tangiers to the Spanish Coast. That is, until the Association decides to scuttle his boat one dark night, almost killing him and his mate Paco. Williams knows he has to fight back just to stay alive, but who and where is the Association? How do you find an enemy who operates even further outside the law than he does? Things become further complicated when Paco finds out that Williams has been seeing his sister, Maria, and feels he must protect her honor. And then there’s Lavinia Hatherton, a rich blonde with an expansive taste in men. And Blasco, a Spanish cop hot on a trail of blood. In a frantic night filled with assassins and temptations, Williams soon finds his greatest challenge is just to stay alive.  RAIN OF TERRORJake Abbott is a European reporter with a hell of an assignment. Piscoli is a small town in the Italian mountains south of Naples and it’s being flooded by torrential rains. Ralph Ellison, Jake’s boss, wants him to head up there and report back. Grace, Ralph’s wife, wants Jake to stay with her. But Jake has got other problems. He has inadvertently humiliated a local crime boss, and now he’s got Angelo on his tail with murder on his mind. And then there’s Leverett, part of the committee assigned to assess the damage; Harry Myers, Jake’s photographer; and Captain Luca, out for blood. They’re all heading up the mountain as the rain pours down, cascades of mud and sudden floods washing by. It’s a recipe for disaster, and that’s just what happens when Ralph turns up dead in the flooding—and all evidence points to Jake as the killer!

A RAGE AT SEAFrank Dixon has just lost his ship in a crap game, and is about to lose his woman as well, when Addams offers him a job captaining the Almacor. All he has to do is take the owner and his drunken guests around the Caribbean. Trouble is, Dixon hates Addams—doesn’t trust him, knows that Addams will sabotage him if he can. But Dixon only has this one chance to climb out of the bottle, one shot at redemption, and agrees to helm the yacht. Thank goodness he has young Wirt aboard. There’s one seaman he can trust. It’s not long before the drinking starts, the owner takes a swing at Wirt, and all hell breaks loose. Dixon knows that Addams is only waiting for his opportunity to stab him in the back, and this could be it. A PARTY EVERY NIGHTVance is the perfect bartender—tall, good-looking, funny, he charms them all. Particularly the waitress, Cora. But Vance only has eyes for Maddie. Unfortunately, Maddie is married to the town lush, Wes Elwood. Almost every night, you will find Maddie and Wes at Vance’s bar, belting down the Scotches and hating one another with a white heat. Tonight is different. Tonight Wes disappears in his car, and no one can find him. After closing, Vance takes Maddie out to all the after-hours bars looking for him, but all they get is one run-around after another, and no Wes. Then Wes is found drowned. And that’s when Durkin steps in, a cop who collects facts like some people collect stamps. Durkin has his own idea of what happened to Wes, and as far as he’s concerned, all those facts lead him back to Vance.